Lemon Rx AIO 25mW FPV Camera

I have had good luck with Lemon Rx receivers so when the company asked if I could evaluate a brand new product I did not hesitate in saying yes. Lemon Rx is trying its hand at an all-in-one (AIO) FPV camera. This first production model has a 25mW 5.8GHz 40ch VTX with a lightweight dipole-like antenna and CMOS sensor camera, all enclosed in a polycarbonate housing with an internal rear-facing segment style LED display. The Lemon Rx AIO FPV Camera is currently available with or without a built-in amplified microphone and comes standard with a 65-degree FOV camera lens.

The Lemon Rx AIO FPV Camera has the capability of remotely switching power on and off as well as changing frequency channels and bands. Fortunately there is also a button on the side to change frequency, as the remote procedure is daunting. To change frequency remotely, the Lemon Rx AIO FPV Camera needs to be powered from an open channel on the receiver and the transmitter Gear channel needs to be toggled from 0 to -100% a total of 8 times. I use a Spektrum DX18 transmitter with assignable switches so I assigned Gear to a momentary push-button switch (Bind button). So pushing a button 8 times is a little easier than having to flip a switch back and forth 8 times for a single frequency change.

Lemon Rx sent me the LMD0001 AIO FPV Camera with built-in amplified microphone. I mounted it on my Hacker HotWing 750 LOS flying wing with 3M double-sided foam tape and picked up 5V from an empty channel on the receiver that I mapped to the Gear channel on my radio. The following video was the maiden flight with the camera.

The video was recorded directly to the DVR on FatShark Dominator V2 FPV goggles. I did not use an LC filter on the power so the small light horizontal lines that increase and decrease with throttle are likely noise from the motor/ESC. The power noise is not that bad but all other anomalies are significant and appear to be from the AIO camera itself.

In addition to the video and/or signal issues, the CMOS sensor on this camera seems to darken the exposure compensation quite a bit in direct sunlight, more-so than typical with this type of camera. It is not prevalent in this video but in other flights it was troublesome. With limited instructions, I could not find any mention of camera settings.Coaxial Sleeve Dipole AntennaTesting was done at a large public park without any obstructions. I have flown other AIO 25mW FPV camera systems as well as separate FPV VTX/camera systems at this park and have not experienced these issues to this severity.

VTX Dipole Antenna Design
5.8GHz VTX dipole antennas, as opposed to circular polarized antennas, are typically “coaxial sleeve dipole” antennas that have an outer lower conductor the same length as the upper exposed center conductor. The Lemon Rx AIO FPV Camera is void of this lower outer equal length conductor on its antenna. I have never seen this design for a 5.8GHz dipole VTX antenna so this could very well be the reason why I experienced issues with what might be signal related. I am not an electronics engineer so I cannot say for sure but the Lemon Rx VTX antenna does look amiss.

Misleading Use of “OSD”
Lemon Rx uses the term “OSD” throughout its AIO FPV Camera description on its website. Most folks that are into flying FPV know this term as On Screen Display of telemetry functions (flight time, battery voltage, RSSI, etc.) that are displayed on the FPV goggle or monitor while flying. I could not find any true OSD functions on the Lemon Rx AIO FPV Camera so I assume it is referring to the internal LED display that shows through the back of the housing on the camera itself.

Power Connector Attachment Failure
The power connector on the rear of my Lemon Rx AIO FPV Camera separated completely from the printed circuit board (PCB) inside, rendering the camera useless. I suppose I can separate the housing and try to re-solder the connector or attach wires directly to the PCB eliminating the connector but it is nice having the option to remove the Lemon Rx Camera while the wiring harness remains on the model.

Lemon Rx FPV Camera Pros and Cons

Pros:

All in one self-contained unit.

Very lightweight for a cased AIO FPV camera.

Built-in amplified microphone on LMD0001.

Cons:

Comes standard with a 65° FOV lens that for most is too small.

Most applications will require repositioning and securing of the dipole-like antenna.

Remote switching function requires 8 toggles of a radio switch to change frequency.

No LC filter in the voltage regulator on the receiver power wiring harness.

Substandard video quality. Could be related to antenna design/signal issue.

As mentioned in the beginning of this article, I have had good luck with Lemon Rx receivers and aside from very light gauge coax for antennas, I cannot find fault with them. I wish I could say the same for the new Lemon Rx AIO FPV Camera. I would really like to see Lemon Rx succeed with this design, as I think there is definitely a place for an enclosed lightweight AIO FPV camera. The case makes it nice for mounting on top of wing or fuselage and its light weight makes it useable on the smallest of ultra-micro aircraft or quadcopters. So my fingers are crossed, and if I learn of any new developments on the Lemon Rx AIO FPV Camera, I will be sure to update this article.

Close-ups, Feedback and Reviews
To be more mobile friendly, photos on TazRC are limited in size. I would be happy to post any close-up photos on request. Just leave a comment below. Also, feel free to leave your feedback or personal review on the Lemon Rx AIO FPV Camera. Registration not required.